The invention relates to a method of producing a thin film photovoltaic system, to a thin film photovoltaic system and its use, particularly in a photovoltaic module for converting solar energy into electrical energy.
A reaction cell for photo-electrochemically producing hydrogen gas is known from German Patent DE 10 2004 012 303 B3. In the described technical solution, a housing filled with an aqueous electrolyte is provided in which a first electrode consisting of a doped semiconductor material, e.g. TiO2 or SrTiO3, and a second electrode consisting of a noble or semi-precious metal, or oppositely doped as compared to the first electrode, are provided. The two electrodes are connected to one another in an electrically conducting manner and are irradiated by a light source during operation. The electrodes are arranged such that the reaction cell is divided into two chambers which are interconnected in an ion-conducting manner. The hydrogen forming within the reaction chamber is discharged through a gas outlet opening.
Furthermore, European Patent EP 1 232 530 B1 describes a semiconductor component for detecting UV radiation. In this case, a semiconductor is provided as a substrate comprising a metal chalcogenide compound semiconductor material as an optical absorbing material for UV radiation, wherein the semiconductor forms a Schottky contact with a metal. The semiconductor so provided with a nanocrystalline metal chalcogenide compound semiconductor layer is conductively connected to an electrical contact layer or a metallic substrate on one side, and, on the other side, to a metal layer which is at least partially transparent to UV radiation.
A further PV (photovoltaic) system consisting of a metal chalcogenide compound semiconductor layer (TiO2) and a metal layer is described in International patent application publication WO 2009/0112397 A2. At the core of the therein described invention is a superficially nanostructured silver layer in which a plasmon resonance is induced upon incidence of visible light. Practical tests, however, showed that this plasmon resonance does not efficiently contribute to charge carrier separation since the induced oscillation propagates parallel and not perpendicular to the extension of the Schottky barrier between the silver layer and the TiO2 layer. Furthermore, a plasmon resonance is only achieved when the angle of incidence of the irradiated light is exactingly adjusted.